Merck Scales Back
FDA Application
For Painkiller

Merck & Co. will seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for a narrower use of painkiller Arcoxia than it had previously sought, the drug maker said.

FDA approval of Arcoxia has been delayed for several years in the wake of safety concerns about the class of drugs to which it belongs, known as selective Cox-2 inhibitors. Arcoxia, which is approved for sale in 62 other countries, is Merck's follow-up to Vioxx, the Cox-2...